Woolamai Newsletter - October Edition

 
 

Telephone: 0467 475 263 Postal Address: PO Box 49, San Remo, VIC, 3925 Web: www.woolamaibeach.org.au Email: secretary@woolamaibeach.asn.au

In this Edition:

  • Presidents report

  • Board update

  • Memberships

  • Skills Maintenance - Save the Date!!

  • Nippers registrations opening soon

  • Training Update

    • Trainer/Assessor Expression of Interests

    • Silver Medallion Aquatic Rescue (SMAR) Course

    • Adult Bronze Medallion Course - Change of Dates

  • Bass Coast Series dates announced!

  • Clubhouse and residence use and expectations

  • Advanced Lifesaving Camp

  • Under 18 Development Camp

  • Wild About Wooli! A 50 Year History of the Club

  • How to get a segment in next Month’s Newsletter

President’s report

Hi everyone,

We are only several weeks away from the start of the season.

I would like to congratulate all of our members who have been stepped into leadership roles for this season. 

Our Life Saving Services Team has been busy appointing patrol captains, vice captains, mentors and many other important roles that help us get our patrols and equipment on to the beach.  We have a great mix of returning leaders and some who are doing it for the first time. They will be supported by some excellent mentors.

Thank you to all of the members of the Gear and Equipment team - Campbell Smart, John McLachlan, Ellie Ryan, Evan Richter, Zane Smith, Maddy Reynolds, Daniel Reynolds, Michael ‘Boo’ Butler- and anyone I have missed.  You have done excellent work in preparing all of our equipment for the upcoming Gear Inspection on Sunday 23 October.

Many of our other sub-committees and teams are working tirelessly (and tiredly) behind the scenes to get us ready for summer.  I hope we can share news about some of their great work in future newsletters.

If you are not already helping with preparation for the season, there are lots of roles being advertised on our Club Members Facebook page and in weekly newsletters.

We are all hoping that our activities will be much less affected by Covid-19 this summer.  I am looking forward to seeing some great social events back at the Clubhouse this summer. 

Get ready for the season

Our Skills Maintenance or ‘Requal’ weekend will be on Sat 3 and Sun 4.  You only need to attend one of the days.  Save the date.

Make sure you read the article in last week’s newsletter for more information and a few things to do beforehand e.g renew/pay your membership, ensure you have a valid Working With Children Check and ensure you are triple vaccinated  (double if between 12-17) and have filled in the vaccination status form.

Woolamai Beach SLSC helping with the Victorian flood effort

Many parts of Victoria are currently experiencing severe and devastating flooding events.  Thousands of homes and people are impacted. 

Life Saving Victoria has reached out to Clubs for volunteers and equipment to be deployed to these areas.

I am very proud of our members who are putting their hands up for this work and assisting.

Thank you to Campbell and the Lifesaving Services team for getting the message out.  A huge thank you to Mark Bain who starts his ‘tour of duty’ this week and also to Alan ‘Aqua Mole’ Hailes and Michael Sorensen for joining Mark to prepare an IRB which Mark is now taking with him.

If you would like to volunteer to help please complete the form which Campbell has posted on the Club Members Facebook page on 17 October or click this link https://form.jotform.com/222867682983070

Congratulations Josh

The primary purpose of our Club is the preservation of life in the aquatic environment.  However one of our other very important purposes is to develop our members and support them to reach their full potential in life saving and life in general.

Many of our members have gained invaluable life and career benefits and experiences through roles and experiences in our Club.

I was thrilled to receive a lovely message recently from the parents of Josh Williams. Josh has been accepted into the Royal Australian Navy and has just begun his training at HMAS Cerberus.  His parents Kieren and Michelle thanked the Club for helping him gain life skills, training, friendships and confidence through life saving. Josh has been a fantastic contributor to our Club so we wish him well and congratulate him on taking the first step in his dream career.

Nippers

Nippers enrolments open to the public on our website from 7pm on Mon 31 October.

This seasons program will run from Thu 29 Dec to Thu 5 Jan with a rest day on New Years Day.

The program will be run across multiple sessions on these dates and will be held at Cleeland Bight (Woolamai Waters) and Smiths Beach.

Details of how to help out by with water safety or becoming an age manager/assistant age manager/junior activities manager will be publicised in future newsletters and on the Facebook page.

Presidents Program

I had the privilege of spending the last weekend at Melbourne Business College with representatives and leaders of Life Saving Victoria and the Presidents of 30 other surf life saving clubs at the inaugural Presidents Program.

The two-day course was an excellent learning and networking initiative developed by Presidents for Presidents and fully funded by Life Saving Victoria and the Victorian State Government.

The course covered subjects including the role of a President, leading high performing teams, creating a positive club culture, challenging conversations, good governance, and succession planning amongst others. 

I still have a lot to learn in my new role as President, but this program has been a great start.

Many of the challenges that we face are ones that other Clubs are also dealing with, so having a new network of contacts will be invaluable.

 

See you down the beach soon.

Regards,

Jason Close - President
E: president@woolamaibeach.asn.au

Board Update

See below updates from the board:

President - Jason Close

  • We have recently sought expressions of interest for membership of the Alan Pitts Youth Development Fund. This fund was set up in the early 2000’s (approximately) to enable members of the Club or the public to donate funds to support training and development opportunities for junior members.  Appointments will be announced shortly. 

  • Expressions of interest will soon be sought for the Club’s Judiciary Committee and Life Membership Nomination Committee. 

  • Jason Close and Brendan Smart will be meeting in October with representatives of Life Saving Victoria to discuss a trial of electronic beach information signage which LSV is proposing to pilot at Woolamai Beach. 

Vice president - Annie Coleman

  • Congratulations to Rex Mynott who has successfully applied to be a Member Protection Officer. Our MPOs will be undergoing training with LSV in the coming months, and will then make themselves known to the membership should you need them. 

  • Thank you to everyone who has applied to the diversity committee. The outcomes of these applications will be shared shortly. If you did not apply and are keen to be involved, please contact Annie Coleman.  

Administration - Christian Born

  • Thank you to everyone who has renewed their memberships for the upcoming season! And a friendly reminder to those who haven’t yet (you need to be a current financial member to requalify). Please don’t hesitate to contact if you need assistance with it.

Lifesaving Services - Campbell Smart

  • The 2022/23 Leadership group has been finalised and will be announced shortly.   

  • The lifesaving Services team have been working hard to have gear serviced and ready in time for the state gear inspection on the 22nd of October thanks to Michael Butler, our Lifesaving Equipment Manager.  

  • Attended LSOC meeting to obtain final information prior to season commencement in November.  

Member Development - Terry Aslanidis

  • See below training section

Communications - Ryan Box

  • Bass Coast Series communications underway - Have a look at today’s post and be sure to follow on Facebook and Instagram

  • Social media planning with Communications Coordinator Erin Close. Stay tuned for information on member profiles in November!

Sustainability - Louise Smith

  • Hi All – the 2022/23 Sustainability Committee has returned with a fresh new structure. In August we released an EOI to join the committee and received a significant response from the membership. We are excited to welcome our new coordinators:

    • Waste – Lily Harrison

    • Non-renewables – Hugo Richter

    • Education – Ellie Ryan

    • Events – Georgie Donnelly

    • Communications – Erin Close

  • Due to the enthusiastic response, we were able to create sub-committees for each portfolio. This a great opportunity to work in a team and make some sustainable changes within our club, particularly if you feel you don’t have enough time or experience to take on a coordinator role.

  • We’d also like to introduce our Junior Sustainability Committee members – Tom Baird, Grace Murphy, Finn Donaldson and Harper Shaw. Our junior committee have blown us away with their passion and creativity so far! It isn’t too late to join the junior committee - if you are <18yrs and a keen greenie please get in touch!

  • If you’d like to join the main committee, junior committee or have any suggestions/feedback, please contact Louise Smith: sustainability@woolamaibeach.asn.au.

Memberships

Hello everyone.

The season is fast approaching and If you intend to be a part of Woolamai Beach SLSC this season, you MUST renew/pay your membership. For all new and returning members renewing and paying your membership is compulsory before participating at any club or state activity (i.e. new awards or skills maintenance).

The club website includes a range of step by step guides to help you with your memberships. You can find these at https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/ under the ‘Members’ Tab of the website.

Current (Returning) WBSLSC Members

To renew/pay your membership, please visit Members Area and follow the prompts.
More information can be found here - https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/renew

**Please Note: If you have forgotten your password, try to reset your password by clicking on ‘Forgotten username or password?’. If this doesn’t work, please contact membership@woolamaibeach.asn.au.

**DO NOT create a new account under any circumstance**

New WBSLSC Members

If you are wanting to participate in one of our programs as a new member, please follow the step by step instructions here - https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/join-us

Current Programs that are on offer this season include:

**Please Note: If you’re participating in any of the above programs, you will not be required to pay a membership as they are included in the course fee.

Membership Fees

Membership Fees will remain the same as previous years. Please note: the system was updated over the last few months and will calculate the correct membership fee as per your DOB.

**As this is still fairly new, there may be errors when completing your membership. if that is the case, please contact membership@woolamaibeach.asn.au

To view the membership fees for the 2022/23 season, please click here - https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/membership-fees

Working With Children’s Check (WWCC)

Anyone over the age of 18 must have a valid Victorian WWCC to join the Club. This includes turning 18 during the season. If you applied for a WWCC for the first time, please send a copy of your card to membership@woolamaibeach.asn.au so it can be added to your profile.

Instructions on how to obtain a WWCC can be found here - https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/working-with-childrens-check

Terry Aslanidis - Manager of Memberships
E: membership@woolamaibeach.asn.au

Skills Maintenance - SAVE THE DATE!

What is Skills Maintenance?

Skills maintenance is intended to ensure all patrolling lifesavers remain proficient in their skills and display the appropriate knowledge and understanding of the patrol award criteria. All active Lifesavers are required to complete a skills maintenance assessment to show currency in the life saving award/s they hold and wish to retain.

What is assessed at Skills Maintenance?

More information will be provided. Please see below snapshot of what is assessable on the day.

When is Skills Maintenance?

The last 2 COVID seasons, we have had to modify how we conduct skills maintenance by providing multiple session over multiple days. This season, we are going back to the old structure of conducting skills maintenance over 1 weekend.

Please Save the Date (You are required to come for only 1 of the days):

  • Saturday 3rd December & Sunday 4th December 2022

More information will come out in the coming month regarding the structure.

What can I do to prepare?

1) Renew/Pay your Membership

2) Ensure you have a valid WWCC

3) Ensure you are triple vaxed and have filled in the vaccination status form

Vaccination Note: Anyone above the age of 18 MSUT be tripled vaxed. Anyone between 12-17 MUST be double vaxed

For more information, please read our skills maintenance page https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/skills-maintenance

Regards,

Training Team

Nippers registrations opening soon!

Join Nippers!

Registrations open 7:00pm Monday 31st October 2022 and places fill fast.

Click below to find out more.

https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/nippers

Training Update

Trainer/Assessor Expression of Interests

Trainer/Assessor EOI’s have come out for the following courses. I would highly recommend members to apply.

  • Frank Dando Sports Academy Camp (FDSA) - FDSA are seeking 2 members who are able to assist training IRBC from Monday - Friday. You MUST have your IRBD. In return, you will be reimbursed $500 for the week and get free food while on camp!. The camp will be held from the 21th -25th November. If you are interested in this opportunity please email training@woolamaibeach.asn.au

For more information on the Role Descriptions, please click here - https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/weekly-updates/weekly-club-update-15-9-2022

Silver Medallion Aquatic Rescue (SMAR) Course

Grand Final Weekend was filled with celebrations as Geelong took home the cup, however for our dedicated volunteers, this weekend was full of learning new skills which will be utilised during the summer this season.

The Silver Medallion Aquatic Rescue award provides participants with the awareness and knowledge, in order to be able to participate in basic lifesaving search and rescue operations. This award is rarely run by lifesaving clubs around the state due to lack of trainers who are able to facilitate this course. We are lucky to have 2 of our own facilitators, Alan (Aquamole) Hailes and Terry Aslanidis give up their weekend to continue developing our members and clubs rescue capabilities.

Photo Gallery: https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/photo-gallery/2022/9/25/silver-medallion-aquatic-rescue-smar-course-202223

“SMAR was the most amazing course I’ve ever been on. It allowed me to use my previous lifesaving knowledge and apply it to different scenarios to help strengthen my confidence and understanding of search and rescue!!!”
— Ryan Box - Participant
“SMAR was a really awesome experience! I loved participating in the search and rescue scenarios, which enabled me to put skill set to the test. I also gained some new skills to enhance my lifesaving knowledge. My favorite ones included jumping off rocks and piers (so sick).”
— Erin Close - Partcipant

The Woolamai Beach SLSC has a proud history of excellent emergency response capabilities not only around Woolamai, but around the entire island up to Coronet Bay and as far as Kilcunda. We will continue to train and provide professional development to our members who will be able to provide the best possible service to our community all year round.

If you are interested to be involved, please get into contact with the Lifesaving Services Team.

Lifesaving Services: lifesavingservices@woolamaibeach.asn.au
Training Team: training@woolamaibeach.asn.au

Adult Bronze Medallion Course - **Change of Dates**

Due to low number of registrations, we have decided to conduct a combined Adult Bronze Course with Inverloch SLSC this year.

The following dates have been proposed:

Weekend 1: 12th & 13th November @ Inverloch (TBC)
Weekend 2: 19th & 20th November @ Inverloch (TBC)

If you are a Nipper Parent, general member or wanting to be involved in surf lifesaving, I would highly recommend participating in this course. The Bronze Medallion will enable you to assist with water safety, club events and patrols!

To register, please follow the steps here https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/adult-bronze-medallion-course

Coming Up

22nd – 24th October 2022 


For more information on the above courses, please click on the links above. To keep up to date with what courses the club is offering, keep reading the weekly updates. Alternatively, check out our club training calendar here https://www.woolamaibeach.org.au/training-calendar

Terry Aslanidis - Chief Instructor
E: training@woolamaibeach.asn.au

Bass Coast Series dates announced!

With 3 months to go until the series kicks off, now is the perfect time to start preparing and put these dates in the calendar:

Cape Paterson Aquathon

  • Sunday 22nd January 2023 @ 10:00am

San Remo Channel Challenge

  • Saturday 4th February 2023 @ 11:00am 

Cowes Classic

  • Saturday 18th February 2023 @ 2:00pm

Little Penguin Dash

  • Saturday 18th February 2023 @ 10:30am

Registrations will open for all Bass Coast Series events on November 1st

Stay tuned for more information on pricing and how to register in the next few weeks!

Website: https://www.basscoastseries.com.au/

Facebook: Bass Coast Series | Facebook

Instagram: Bass Coast Series (@basscoastseries) • Instagram photos and videos

Thanks, 

Bass Coast Series team

Clubhouse and residence use and expectations

Dear Members,

The Woolamai Beach SLSC Board wanted to take the opportunity prior to season commencement to remind members of the expectations and rules around usage of the Clubhouse and the Residence property.

Please see the attached document. by clicking HERE

This document will be circulated around in the coming weeks and is expected to be read and followed as we head into the season

Any questions don't hesitate to reach out

Kind Regards,

The Woolamai Beach SLSC Board

Advanced Lifesaving Camp

After 2 years of Covid, the Advanced Lifesaving Camp was back in person with the Eastern camp being held at Phillip Island Adventure Resort

The camp went from Monday 19th of September - Friday 23rd of September.

The program is run by a team of experienced lifesavers and lifeguards as well as guest presenters from medical expertise and other emergency services. The goal of the Advanced Lifesaving Camp is to enhance the training and development of Gold Medallion Lifesavers and Lifeguard recruits, with a strong focus on high performance and practical learning within both open water and inland waterways. The program utilises both the classroom and several unique beaches, giving lifesavers and potential lifeguards exposure to new and exciting locations, putting their skills to the test.


Woolamai would like to congratulate our 6 members who attended as well as Hannah Tzimokas who was one of the leaders. We look forward to seeing their skills in action throughout the season!

  • Martin Buttery

  • Maddy Reynolds

  • Phoebe Clark

  • Joshua Broughton

  • Lachlan Casey

  • Erin Close

If this is something of interest for you or a future aspiration, get in contact with your patrol captains, senior members, or Director of member development - Terry Aslanidis for more information!

U18 Leadership Development camp

The U18 Leadership Development Camp took place on Friday 7th October to 9th October at Lord Somers Camp.

The camp is an opportunity for youth members to develop and enhance their leadership and lifesaving skills, to support their progress through their lifesaving journey.

Participants had the opportunity to learn about their leadership style and building effective teams through fun practical activities. They also had the opportunity to develop lifesaving, mentoring and coaching skills to utilise back at their club through on beach scenario-based training.

Woolamai had an amazing turn out with Michael Butler (Boo) and Ellie Ryan as camp leaders, and 3 candidates. Coco Stafford, Emily Ross, and Alex Lee.

We’re very excited to see what they achieve around the club this season!

Wild About Wooli! A 50 Year History of the Club

Want a segment in next Month’s newsletter?

Hi all,

If anyone would like to submit something for next month, the best way to do this is send me an email at communication@woolamaibeach.asn.au with a title for the segment, and text of what you’d like to be included as well as any pictures or images and I’ll be sure to add it in.

Deadline for November’s Newsletter - 8th of November

Cheers,

Ryan Box - Director of Communications

Email: communication@woolamaibeach.asn.au

Coming Up

 
Woolamai Beach SLSCWoolamai Beach Surf Life Saving Club